Not so long ago, a sailor sailing across the cold waters of the northern Pacific Ocean might have had every chance of being confronted by a sea cow. This cow would have measured 10 meters long, and weighed between five and ten tones. And it would spend most of its day cruising the seas, eating grass growing underwater. The cow in question was known as Steller’s sea cow, which is now extinct.

Today, many people are unaware that such an extraordinary creature once existed, or don’t know its incredible story. But scientists have discovered many fundamental facts about this mystical animal.

Surprisingly, the first recorded sighting of a Steller’s sea cow didn’t happen until 1741, when a sailing expedition was stuck on an uninhabited island, later named Bering Island. The sailor survived by hunting and eating the huge sea cow. Like its modern relatives, the sea cow lived in herds. That and its slow-moving behaviour made it easy to be caught.

Those sailors that escaped Bering Island spread word of the bounty(大量) of meat to be found off its shores. As a result, more and more expeditions came to hunt the animals. One report stated that one sea cow could feed 33 men for a month.

Incredibly, just 27 years after the island and species had been discovered by modern man, the last sea cow was reported killed. That makes the Steller’s sea cow one of the few truly large mammals known to have been driven extinct in the modern age.

1.Which of the following words can be used to describe the Steller’s sea cow?

A. Huge.B. Fierce.C. Aggressive.D. Mild.

2.The underlined word “That” refers to the fact that ________.

A. the sailor escaped Bering Island

B. the sea cow was a kind of social animal

C. more expeditions came to hunt the sea cow

D. one sea cow could feed 33 men for a month

3.In which year did the Steller’s sea cow become extinct?

A. In 1741.B. In 1768.C. In 1785.D. In 1876.

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Why did expeditions hunt the Steller’s sea cow?

B. When did the Steller’s sea cow become extinct?

C. How did the Steller’s sea cow become extinct?

D. What do we know about the Steller’s sea cow?

After a terrible electrical accident, which caused him to become both blind and deaf, the whole world became completely dark and quiet for Robert Edwards for almost ten years. The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such sorrow(悲伤) that he tried a few times to put an end to his life. His family, especially his wife, did their best to tend and comfort him and finally he regained the will to live.

One hot summer afternoon, he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once. He stood under a large tree to avoid getting wet, but he was struck by the lightning. Witnesses thought he was dead but he woke up some 20 minutes later lying face down in muddy water at the base of the tree. He was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what he saw —— a plough and a wall. When Mrs. Edwards came running up to him, shouting to their neighbors to call for help, he could see her and hear her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.

The news of Robert regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread, and many doctors came to examine him. Most of them said that he regained his sight and hearing from the shock he got from the lightning. However, none of them could give a convincing answer as to why this should have happened. The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since Robert lost his sight and hearing as a result of sudden shock, perhaps, the only way for him to regain them was by another sudden shock.

1.The reason for Robert’s attempts to kill himself was that________.

A. a terrible traffic accident happened to him

B. he had to live in a dark and silent world

C. he was struck by the lightning once more

D. nobody in the world cared about him

2.What was Robert doing when he was struck by the lightning?

A. Sheltering for the rain under a tree.

B. Driving a car.

C. Taking a walk with a stick.

D. Lying on the ground.

3.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Robert had been deaf and blind for nearly ten years.

B. Robert hid himself under the tree for 20 minutes.

C. Robert could hear his wife’s shouting for help when he woke up.

D. The family’s love helped Robert regain confidence to live.

4.We can infer from the text that________.

A. there was no accurate explanation for Robert's recovery

B. many doctors came because Robert was badly injured

C. Robert’s wife sent for doctors immediately after the shock

D. a sudden injury in the head led to Robert's recovery

A news release (释放,发布)is a tool of communication,through which information is passed to even the farthest end of the world.It keeps us well informed of the happenings of the world which would otherwise remain unknown.

When writing a news release,keep in mind that the media receive hundreds of releases every day.Try to follow these guidelines:Keep it short and professional.Come up with a catchy headline that will grasp someone's attention.Sometimes the title will take more time to come up with than writing the release.That's okay-the headline could be critical for getting an event covered!

Cover the 5 W's in your first paragraph.Those are who you are; what you are doing;where,when you are doing;why you are doing it,which help us understand the details about the event.Besides,any opinions in the news release should be put in quotations from your designated spokesperson.Include things that the media finds newsworthy,which is the most essential.

Make the time on your news release at least half an hour later than the time you have told activists to show up at an event.This will ensure that activists are prepared and in place by the time the media arrive.

Choose a spokesperson for the event who can be quoted in the release and will be available for calls at that number the day before the event.

Have someone proof the release for spelling,grammar and content (determine whether what you are trying to relay is clear and right).Sometimes the person who writes the release may not notice mistakes that a fresh pair of eyes will catch.

Accuracy is the last but not least important in terms of your content and the location and time that you tell the media.If you do make a mistake,it is critical that you call and notify the media of the correction.

1.What's the main purpose of the passage?

A.To tell us the importance of the news release.

B.To tell us how to avoid mistakes in the news release.

C.To make us know how to make the news release.

D.To ask us to read news release on the latest events.

2.What does the underlined word “catchy” in Para 2 probably mean?

A.Tricky. B.Attractive.

C.Imaginary. D.Funny.

3.What is the most important for a news release according to the passage?

A.Make sure the 5 W's in your first paragraph.

B.Choose a proper spokesperson for the event.

C.Make the news release newsworthy and accuracy.

D.Ensure activists are prepared for the events in advance.

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